Is Stretchberry deer resistant?
Forestiera pubescens
Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
Not listed by Rutgers NJAES. Rated deer-resistant by El Paso County CSU Extension, whose list is a single category, mapped conservatively to Seldom Severely Damaged.
About Stretchberry
Twiggy and tough, branching at right angles — hence the local name elbow-bush — with small grey-green leaves that turn chartreuse in autumn and petal-less yellow flowers in February that feed the first hairstreaks of the year. Deer mostly ignore it. Plant one and you will get no berries. Male and female flowers are on separate bushes, and only the females carry the blue-black fruit that is half the reason for growing it, so buy from a nursery that can tell you which is which, and buy more than one. It will take full sun, part shade or considerably less light than that, and it reaches fifteen feet if you let it. Clipped into a screen it is dense and entirely forgettable; left alone to arch, with the light tan bark showing through, it is a far better plant.
Similar to Stretchberry
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Antelope BitterbrushPurshia tridentataSeldom damaged
- Anthony Waterer SpireaSpiraea x bumaldaZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Apache PlumeFallugia paradoxaZones 6–10Seldom damaged
- Armstrong JuniperJuniperus chinensis 'Armstrongii'Zones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn OliveElaeagnus umbellataZones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn SageSalvia greggiiZones 6–9Seldom damaged
Where Stretchberry grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texasnative
- Coloradonative
- Californianative
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahomanative
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utahnative
- Nevadanative
- Arizonanative
- New Mexiconative
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 8 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list Stretchberry belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Stretchberry
- Is Stretchberry deer resistant?
- Stretchberry (Forestiera pubescens) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Stretchberry grow in?
- Stretchberry is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Stretchberry grow in shade?
- Yes. Stretchberry tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Stretchberry get?
- Mature height is roughly 39–180 in. Growth rate is moderate.